This invention relates to wheelchairs, and more particularly to wheelchair access systems.
Wheelchair access (i.e., entry into or exit from a wheelchair) has always been a challenge for the physically impaired. Typically, a physically impaired person has to be lifted out of and into a wheelchair by one or more people prior to and immediately after use of the wheelchair.
The requirement that another person, at least, assist an invalid in accessing a wheelchair can be inconvenient at best and can have a completely isolating effect at worst. The concept of a wheelchair itself is to allow the invalid to be independent in traveling from one place to another. An ideal access system should likewise promote and enable the invalid to act alone and achieve a high degree of independence.
Systems have been developed over the years to allow access into and out of a wheelchair from one side of the wheelchair. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,901,527 and 4,155,588 disclose systems for moving a rear wheel relative to the seat of the wheelchair and moving the chair armrest to allow access into and out of the wheelchair from the side. Notwithstanding the improvements provided by these devices, they still require a person other than the physically impaired to move the wheel and assist in accessing the wheelchair.
There is a need, therefore, to provide an access system for wheelchairs that facilitates access into and out of the wheelchair. There is further a need to provide a wheelchair access system that improves upon the concept of side access to a wheelchair. Still further, there is a need to develop wheelchair access systems that can be employed solely by the invalid or other person utilizing the wheelchair.
The present invention relates to a wheelchair access system that facilitates access into and out of a wheelchair. The system allows the user, without help from another person depending on his or her disabilities, to move either of the large, rear wheels backward, away from the side of the seating area so that the wheelchair seat can be accessed from that particular side. More specifically, the wheelchair access system comprises a horizontal rearwardly extending frame attached to the main frame of the wheelchair. This rear extension comprises a pair of horizontal guide rails. An extension, according to the present invention, may be attached to one or both sides of a wheel chair.
A sliding bracket interconnects a rear wheel of the wheelchair to the horizontal guide rails. The sliding bracket includes a linear bearing that allows it to move along the horizontal guide rails. A latch secures the front-to-rear position of the wheel. That is, the wheel can be secured in place at an operable, forward position or, alternatively, at a rearward position to allow side access into and out of the wheelchair.
A platform may be attached to the frame of the wheelchair for positioning to the side of the wheelchair when the rear wheel is moved to its rearward-most position on the extension. A glide slide allows the platform to be raised relative to the wheelchair and articulated or otherwise positioned to the side of the wheelchair, perhaps extending to a seat or other piece of furniture laterally adjacent the wheelchair. The invalid or physically impaired person utilizing the wheelchair can then slide into or out of the wheelchair from the side. A primary benefit of the present invention is that the wheelchair user can move the rear wheel and position the board without the assistance of another person.
The foregoing and other features, utilities, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.